“Thank you,” she whispers. “I … thank you.” She pushes out a shaky breath.
“Can we look through it together?”
Her smile brightens as she nods. I take a seat on the couch, pulling her into my arms, and we spend the next hour reading the entries her mother left throughout the nine months of her pregnancy.
CHAPTER 37
Alyssia
“Don’t forget your hat,” Travis says.
We’re standing in the parking lot of the harbor. Travis has brought me here for another one of his surprises.
He reaches back into the passenger side of his car and plucks out my wide brim straw hat, placing it carefully on my head. My eyes scan the contours of his jawline, the way the sun heightens the golden flecks in his eyes that if you’re not close enough one could easily miss.
“What are you smiling about?” he asks, the sparkle in his eyes matching his grin.
“I was thinking how wonderful it is that our baby gets to grow up in a place as beautiful as this.”
With a wave of my hand, I gesture to our surroundings.
A group of young people dressed in sundresses and Polo shorts laugh carelessly as they head toward the one of the docks. They look so carefree, exactly how people their age should feel on a beautiful summer day.
My hand goes to my belly. Quietly, I pray our child is able to live happily like that.
“Our baby is lucky because you’re going to be his or her mom.” He brings my hand to his lips, kissing the outside of my palm.
I part my lips to tell him I’m not the type of person who believes in luck, but the words don’t come out.
“My baby daddy is a flirt.”
“If we have a boy, I’ll teach him everything I know.”
I pull my hand away. “You’ll teach our son to be a ho? What if it’s a girl?”
He frowns. “She’s not leaving the house until she’s at least twenty.”
My eyes round in shock. “That’s a completely sexist and outdated mindset.”
He shrugs. “Call me old school.”
“I’ll call you a male chauvinist who has his head stuck up his?—”
He leans in and kisses my lips.
“I’m kidding.” He chuckles as he pulls back. “She can leave the house when she’s sixteen. By then I’ll have taught her everything I know about avoiding men all together.” He twists his lips, thinking. “On second thought, she’ll have round-the-clock security. That’ll take care of it.”
“Ridiculous.”
He squeezes my hand. “When it comes to my family, I am.”
It’s the words “my family” that melts any fiery response I might’ve come back with.
“Now about your surprise.” He gestures toward the marina.
“We’re going sailing?” I ask.
“Sailing, no. But we are spending the next few days on a private yacht with stops at some of the most gorgeous beaches in Monaco and the South of France.”
